2) Petitions must show the **terms at the top of the first page of the petition and the request must be at the top of every subsequent page.

Terms = Facts or reasons for the petition and the specific action requested.

3) The terms of the petition must not contain any alterations and must not exceed two hundred words (i.e. reasons and request together).

4) The petition must not have any letters, affidavits or other documents attached to it.

5) Every petition must contain the signature and address of the principal petitioner on the first page.

6) Each signature on the petition must be made by the person signing in his or her own handwriting. A petitioner who is not able to sign may ask another person to sign on his or her behalf.

7) Every signature must be written on a page bearing the request part of the terms of the petition. Signatures must not be copied, pasted or transferred on to the petition. They must not be placed on a blank page or on the reverse of a sheet containing the terms of the petition.

A petition may be forwarded or handed to the Chief Executive Officer who will present it at the first ordinary meeting of the Council as an item of correspondence.

How petitions are processed

After receiving a properly prepared petition we follow this process:

1) A relevant Councillor will (as far as practicable) become acquainted with the subject matter of the petition.

2) The Chief Executive Officer will present it at the next available ordinary meeting of Council as an item of correspondence.

2) A Councillor will then present the petition to a meeting, of Council explaining the nature of the petition and read the petition.

No debate on or in relation to the petition is conducted at this point. However, the Councillor presenting the petition may speak in respect of the matter the subject of the petition for a period of not more than one minute.

A meeting motion is moved to either:

Receive the petition and have it referred to a committee or an Officer for consideration and report back to the Council at a later date; or